The 2011 Grand National Roadster Show – The Granddaddy Of All Of Them

Wow! Another year and the Grand National Roadster Show came and went. For those of you who were lucky enough to go to this year’s 62nd GNRS I’m glad you were there to see it first hand. For those of you who didn’t, hopefully we can shed some light on the show. The Fairplex in Pomona, California, has hosted the event since 2004 and seven buildings are filled with show-quality customs, rat rods, dragsters, lowriders, motorcycles, classic trucks, and vendors. The outsides of the buildings are also jam-packed with several hundred vehicles that are equally impressive in their own right. To the top custom builders, GNRS is one of the best events to show off all their hard work, and over 500 awards were handed out from the judge’s picks this year.

Riz and I are some of the lucky media who get to wander in an hour early before the show starts on Friday. We tried to get in as many photos as possible before the crowds rolled in, but it’s hard to do so because we are enthusiasts too, and want to stop and look. On Saturday and Sunday the crowds arrived and so did the cars and trucks outside, which is a good thing because with more vehicles come more viewing pleasure. CT

[01] Richard Dinnen of El Cajon, California, made the 100-mile trek to show his ’56 F-100 to the crowd. Dinnen spent a total of 10 years perfecting it, and to us, this ride was a decade’s worth of cool.

[02] “Huntin’ Special” was the title for this ’35 Ford. Paul and Sandy Bonderson’s panel was built by Roy Brizio Street Rods of San Francisco and powered by a GMPP LS6. This should get the boys and their gear to the ducks in a hurry. Pull!

[03] This tribute to AC/DC showed up with no brakes. Why? It couldn’t stop rockin’ and rollin’. The front grille was converted to a playable Marshall amp that jams the band’s greatest hits.

[04][05] Roy Brizio and crew were busy last year building one of the most unique pre-Tri-Five Chevys. I walked by it once and didn’t realize that it had been converted to righthand drive. Check out the grille, too. I would shoot the sheriff but not the deputy to own this English classic truck.

[06][07] Juan and Maria Trevino from Whittier, California, had their beautiful ’65 Suburban on display. Check out the custom but classy touch on the interior that Juan says is not yet finished. Details…

[08] “Atom Tron,” a ’49 Studebaker flashes into the future by some of our living legends. It reminds me of the Jetsons cartoon.

[09] Chopped top and baby blue. I am not sure who owned this truck, but both Riz and I would’ve for sure taken it home.

[01][02] Randy Ito’s ’55 Cameo took some time to build. Between business travels Ito finished the ’55 to be a showstopper. Look out for a feature on this pickup in the future.

[03]Oh boy, oh boy, an Apache! I’m not sure what it is about the dual headlamps that I love. This ’58, owned by Robert and Dava Kurhajian, was well done, sporting a Stepside bed and TCI chassis. Wheeler’s Speed Shop of Huntington Beach, California, accounted for the wonderful job.

[06] Mox Millers’ The Hunter was on display in the then and now section. We love seeing custom trucks that survive the test of time in the looks department.

[07] Rob MacGregor, owner of this ’55 F-100 and No Limit Engineering, has been putting this baby to the test on the track. With his Big 10 chassis under the body, this truck can turn.

[08] Let’s go to the beach; pile in kids! Wayne Roger and Jim Helton of Wayne’s Hot Rod Garage in Shingle Springs, California, lugged their ’51 Chevy Suburban to Southern California to enjoy the sun’s rays and take in the other cool trucks.

[09] Otto Rhodes’ ’53 Ford was purchased used in 1956, five months after he graduated high school. He soon chopped the roof and customized it to his touch. What a cool ’50s survivor.

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